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This is a most important picture but it can be best understood in a Tibetan Buddhist context – which is akin to Breton’s view and Einstein’s early on (“cosmic religion”). Indeed, as Breton paid homage to the 13th Dali Lama all the surrealist work should be viewed in this cosmic framework. Consider that individualism is an illusion as the Tibetan considers and that Magritte shares an unconscious state with his artist friends, particularly Dali, but with the other Surrealists in his group as well. Magritte and Dali are symiot, like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Christian and Muslim, Santa and Black Peter, capitalism and communism. Both share aspects of a general systemic consciousness. Repeal as well the recent Western convention of literal time and see this picture as an object related to similar objects in longer time – other time and other place – the piano is an instrument in a moment in space time. The grand piano is a key to the Unconscious – in this picture it is circled by a ring – the perfect union of the Psyche. And the piano travels here to an extended journey in Dali’s work, in which the alchemist lion-god (the god which devours the Sun and becomes the Sun King – the Aquarian agent of the age impending) emerges and from which Pegasus takes flight from his old corpse – Pegasus, the agent of spiritual transformation in Aquarius. This shared dream journey (a cultural dream) starts here with this piano. The viola is a symbol shared by Man Ray, Magritte, Dali and others who have come later. This Grand Piano is shared by Dali and John Lennon. Does The Beatles “apple” come from Magritte’s (charactertisticcally British) Man with a Green Apple (perhaps Sir Paul could comment)? What is magnificent about this picture is that the Piano comes from a circle unbroken signifying full psyche – yet it has a reflection – a broken circle – a shadow – of the same ring. The sad man who speaks not in the British hospital draws the same piano. Like Magritte’s, his has a circle around it and the piano has a shadow. Parthalon Flyingsnake DeCoursy